linux-performance.md

Notes for monitoring performance on Linux

Context: I've been having trouble getting consistent performance measurements on my MacBook Pro, so I decided to try my luck on an Intel Linux desktop running Ubuntu 24.

perf settings

We'll want to monitor some performance counters that have potential security implications, so we need to disable some settings. ONLY DO THIS ON A MACHINE YOU TRUST AND THAT WILL NOT RUN POTENTIALLY-MALICIOUS THIRD-PARTY CODE!

Source scripts/linux-perf-settings.sh

(These come from https://easyperf.net/blog/2019/08/02/Perf-measurement-environment-on-Linux)

sysctl.conf settings

$ cat /proc/sys/kernel/perf_event_paranoid

If the result isn't -1, then add this to /etc/sysctl.conf:

kernel.perf_event_paranoid = -1

$ cat /proc/sys/kernel/kptr_restrict

If the result isn't 0, then add this to /etc/sysctl.conf:

kernel.kptr_restrict = 0

After these changes, you'll need to reboot.